Reeling In The Beers
by MyCedarChest
Summary: Companion piece to 'Kilting Me Softly'.


Companion piece to 'Kilting Me Softly''.

Reeling in the Beers

Spock looked around the large hall where the wedding reception was taking place. Tables had been set up around the perimeter of the hall leaving a relatively large amount of surface area of wooden floor in the center of the room empty. He presumed that this unused floor space had been dedicated for use as the dancing area. As he continued to look around the hall he noticed that some of the tables had begun to fill up with guests as they sat down to eat. The members of the pipe and drum corps were already seated at tables next to the dance floor and they were now quite busy eating and drinking. Spock reasoned that food and drink were one of the benefits of providing music for a Scottish wedding.

Spock moved forward once again as he patiently held two large plates, one in each hand, while Nyota continued in her efforts to fill up each one with various food items from the long and well laden serving table. She knew his taste in Terran food quite well and would no doubt select nutritious and palatable food for him. And knowing her tastes equally as well, he was certain that she would secure another plate for herself and partake from the desert table after eating her fill from the plates he was holding. He had noticed that she had studied the desert table quite intently as they had passed by it moments ago.

Lieutenants Morrow and Wilson's wedding ceremony had lasted 48 minutes and 23 seconds and it had been quite the raucous affair filled with bagpipe music and dancing in the chapel isles, the former being traditional and the latter no doubt whiskey inspired. But Spock was not one to judge the ancillary activity of a wedding ceremony. He and Nyota's Kenya wedding ceremony had also been large and loud and had a VERY enthusiastic audience in attendance just as this ceremony had. Even though such loud and uncontrolled environments were not particularly agreeable to him, living on Earth since his 17th birthday had forced him to develop a higher tolerance to the noise and chaos that typically defined Terran celebrations.

"Eating for two again, Spock?" Jim Kirk asked inserting himself into the serving line directly behind him.

Spock cut his eyes back towards him and then turned his head back to look down at Nyota who just rolled her eyes towards the ceiling and then followed up with a smile that appeared to be much too calm given the inference of the comment.

"He needs to keep his strength up for later tonight." Nyota replied, steadfastly refusing to even look at Kirk as she added a large spoonful of what appeared to be some type of casserole made with broccoli onto one of the plates he was holding. "That kilt he's wearing is showing off those sexy legs of his and that's making me weak in the knees."

Spock certainly did not wish for her to have any weakness in her body because of him. He quickly glanced down at her knees which were showing just barely below the edge of her kilt and then back up at her, their eyes immediately locking with one another. He could now see that very familiar mischievous look in her eyes. She was no doubt teasing him now about being 'weak in the knees'. His concern for her health dissipated quickly.

"I had no idea that you liked kilts, Uhura or I would have worn one years ago when we were at the Academy." Kirk commented reaching out to pile pork roast high upon his plate.

"Don't get your hopes up, Kirk. She only likes HIS legs in a kilt." Gaila interjected cutting into line between Spock and Kirk.

Spock glanced down at her plate and noticed that Gaila had already managed to fill her plate from the dessert table. Her plate now held mass quantities of various pies and cakes.

Nyota quickly put her arms possessively around Spock's waist and leaned around him in order to look at Gaila's plate with him. "Gaila! You are going to be on a serious refined sugar high for at least 48 hours if you eat all of that. And then you are going to crash and burn HARD!"

"OK, OK." Gaila replied calmly scooping a very small serving of mashed potatoes onto the middle of her plate on top of what appeared to be a large slice of apple pie. "THERE! Happy now?" she asked somewhat smugly.

Nyota clucked her continued displeasure with her as Kirk broadly grinned at the Orion. "Don't worry Uhura. Gaila and I are dance partners tonight, and she is definitely going to burn off all those calories dancing those Scottish dances that you and Scotty showed us how to do."

Nyota slowly withdrew her arms from around his waist and Spock immediately missed the warmth of her touch. He then thought back to the five sessions on Delta shift in the largest rec room of the Enterprise during which Mr. Scott and Nyota conducted their Scottish dance demonstrations and instruction. Spock had accompanied Nyota to the Rec room during each of those sessions even though he had not participated in the dancing. Dancing it seemed had never been an activity that he and Nyota had engaged in as a couple.

In fact Spock had been quite relieved that he was not required to dance at their wedding ceremony in Kenya. Having felt his relief through their marriage bond, Nyota had become curious and had inquired at the time about the reasons behind his attitude with regard to dancing. He had then informed her that as the only son of Ambassadors from Vulcan, he had been 'forced' to dance at numerous diplomatic functions after being given lessons by his mother. And for a young Vulcan male, such memories had held a great deal of displeasure associated with them even though it was quite illogical to harbor such emotions.

Given that Nyota already knew that he was uncomfortable engaging in any form of 'dance', such knowledge had no doubt resulted in her not asking him to be her Scottish dance partner for Lieutenants Morrow and Wilson's wedding reception preparations. At the time Spock had grudgingly acknowledged that a part of him, albeit a very small part, was disappointed that she had not asked him to be her dance partner. And an even smaller part of him had finally admitted to himself that he was actually jealous of Mr. Scott dancing with Nyota, even though he knew that such contact between the two of them was temporary and was being done only for convenience in properly demonstrating the Scottish country dance techniques.

So as Nyota and Mr. Scott taught Scottish dance lessons on board the Enterprise, Spock had busied himself instructing some of the security personal in the basics of the Vulcan art of Suus Mahna. This group had petitioned him on more than one occasion to provide such instruction to them and he found it most logical as well as convenient to teach them during Nyota and Mr. Scott's dance lessons since he was already present in the Rec room.

So on more than one occasion during the Suus Mhna lessons he found himself glancing over to watch Nyota as she danced with Mr. Scott. The Scottish country dances were quite simple and he found himself memorizing the steps although he was somewhat at a loss to explain why he did so. And he had also been irrationally pleased when he had discovered that Nyota too had been casting some quite intense looks at him as he had demonstrated the Vulcan hand to hand combat skills for the assembled security personnel.

Upon retiring to their quarters after each of those five sessions, their intimate relations had been most enthusiastic AND most satisfactory. His thoughts once again in the present, it suddenly struck him that Nyota's comment about him consuming sufficient calories at dinner tonight so as to prepare him for her planned activities for them after they retired for the night pleased him greatly.

Mr. Scott and Lt. Gray as well as Gaila and Kirk sat down with him and Nyota at a circular table close to the dance floor and near the front of the hall. After they were all seated a server immediately approached their table and placed two large ceramic pitchers upon their table.

"Thank you, laddie!" Scotty acknowledged smiling broadly at the younger man who smiled back at him before turning to leave. Scotty then began to pour what appeared to be beer into glasses that sat on a tray and handed the filled glass to Lt. Gray who then passed it around the table. After pouring 6 glasses, Scotty then poured water into another set of glasses that Lt. Gray also began to pass around the table until every one seated there had two glasses in front of them.

Spock had imbibed many different types of beers during his relatively short tenure at Star Fleet. Admiral Pike had first introduced him to the beverage and had seen fit to educate him well on the Terran history behind the many different types of beers found on Earth. Spock found that he had favored many of the 'craft' beers as well as some of the ales that contained fruits and nuts. He cautiously sniffed the liquid in his glass before taking a small sip. He found the beer's taste to be quite pleasant with a subtle nutty flavor. He noted that the coloring of the beer was a golden red. He took another larger sip before setting his glass once more on the table as he began to eat from one of the two plates that he and Nyota shared.

"This drink be from Edinburg." Mr. Scott suddenly announced to the table holding up his beer glass which Spock knew from one of his past drinking sessions with Admiral Pike to be a 'Pint' glass. "One of my brothers is the brew master at the Highland Brewing Company there."

"This is really good beer, Scotty." Kirk replied through a mouthful of pork "And I don't usually like beer…but this one has a sorta nutty flavor."

Scotty smiled broadly after throwing back another long drink from his beer. "That's right Cap'n. This one be called 'Squirrel Chaser' in honor of the red squirrels that live in the woods near the brewery."

Spock took another sip from his beer. The name of the beer was curious but well founded given its particular flavor as well as its color. He found himself finishing his glass of beer rather quickly. Nyota then slowly slid her beer glass over in front of him as she glanced knowingly up at him. Spock was quite aware that she was not overly fond of beer and had commented to him in the past that beer was too 'fattening' for her tastes. He suddenly found that he couldn't stop his eyes from quickly roving over her lithe and lean torso and he immediately saw and then felt her breathing quicken in response to his brief but heated gaze. He knew without a doubt that her supple and slender body would never be considered as being 'fat' by any standards.

Realizing that his behavior was now becoming inappropriate for them being in public, he quickly dropped his eyes to the plates in front of them and he began once again to eat, silently questioning just how long the wedding reception would last tonight. It had now been 12 hours, 14 minutes, and 56 seconds since he and Nyota had shared a bed. And he was suddenly most eager to once again share a bed with her. Spock slowly lowered his right hand underneath the table so as to be hidden from view of the table's other occupants. He then placed his right hand upon Nyota's left knee curling his fingers around her joint as he stroked her smooth and silky skin tenderly with his thumb. He was most satisfied indeed as she shivered in response to his touch.

After 10.2 minutes of what Spock knew to be 'small talk' from everyone except him of course, Nyota gracefully rose from their table, her left hand trailing along Spock's right upper arm and shoulder as she did so. The feel of her warm fingers upon his linen covered arm surprisingly evoked a strong feeling of longing within him. A longing which he knew would only be satisfied by the feel of her body against his….without the confines of their clothing of course.

Spock watched her walk slowly away from their table towards the desert table, his eyes focused intently on her swaying hips as she walked. He proceeded to quickly drain his glass of beer, continuing to watch her as she began to fill up her plate with various desserts. Mr. Scott suddenly reached across the table and quickly filled up his glass once more with beer.

"Thank you, Mister Scott." He told the bright eyed chief engineer as he turned his head to look at him.

"My pleasure, Mister Spock." Came the polite and mostly coherent reply from Scotty. "I take it you like this bonnie brew then."

"It is indeed most palatable, Mr. Scott." Spock replied, his eyes cutting quickly away from Scotty's smiling face and once again focusing on Nyota as she walked slowly back to their table, her hands holding a plate laden with slices of pie, cake, and fruit. His eyes once again trailed down her body to rest upon her hips and in particular the now swaying juncture between her legs. He felt his breathing quicken as he swiftly forced his eyes upward in order to make eye contact with her and watched as her face slowly formed a coy smile as she locked eyes with him. His breathing and heart rate immediately began to increase as she continued to walk towards him.

As she sat down next to him, her left hip brushed softly against his right shoulder sending an involuntary shiver of desire down his spine and straight into his core. He quickly glanced around the table hoping that his body's uncontrolled reaction to Nyota was not apparent to any one else at the table. Nyota then pushed the plate nearest to her over slightly so she could place her desert plate between them. Spock glanced over and watched her take a bite from a cake whose coloration appeared to be dark red. He could now both hear and feel her moan of satisfaction with the taste of the cake. And this sound immediately set him on fire from within.

He turned his head away from her quickly tamping down the strong surge of longing now growing within him. He immediately began to question just how long his self control would last this evening. Such loss of control was indeed rare for him in public and he swiftly began to search for the reason behind such loss. Knowing her monthly cycles quite intimately, Spock quickly calculated that Nyota was at least 48 hours from ovulating. However her cycles had fluctuated in the past due to lack of proper nutrition and high stress levels during extended hazardous duty periods. Perhaps she was entering into ovulation early this month. He cautiously and slowly leaned towards her and breathed in her warm woman scent analyzing it and quickly confirmed that she was definitely not ovulating.

He inwardly breathed a sign of relief. He was quite aware of just how much Nyota had been looking forward to the dancing part of the wedding reception this evening. And if she had been in fact ovulating, he was quite certain that she would have found it most disappointing when he scooped her up in his arms in the middle of the wedding reception and carried her away with him back to their hotel room where they would have remained for at least 24 hours while he re-staked his claim on her as his mate. Spock blinked rapidly twice as he suddenly realized that his lust filled behavior now had no logical reason behind it. He began to search within his mind for the true reason, but he quickly realized that not only was his internal timer now impaired but his logic processes in general were also somehow affected. So instead of tracking down the cause of his aberrant behavior, all of his current thought processes now focused on bedding his Nyota.

Suddenly breaking him out of his thoughts, Nyota held up what appeared to be a fresh, unreplicated strawberry to his lips apparently offering to feed him the bright red fruit. He looked into her eyes questioning her teasing and now quite overt behavior. She then smiled broadly at him, her mahogany eyes sparkling with happiness. And as usual he could not and would not deny her any pleasure. He obediently opened his mouth for her and slowly bit down on the fruit leaving just the calyx of the fruit within her slender mocha fingers. She quietly moaned making him begin chewing the fruit with more force than was required as he endeavored to restrain himself from licking her now retreating fingers, reaching down instead with his right hand to brush at her fingertips. She immediately felt his amorous intent through their bond and her smile brightened even further.

"I am grateful that you have chosen the 'wooing' over the 'whiskey' my husband." She whispered to him in High Vulcan quietly as she slowly lowered her hand back down to the table and then casually wiped her fingers on her napkin.

Although he did his best to maintain a neutral expression on his face, he was 95.3% certain that his eyes had widened slightly at her words. Wooing indeed. He reached out to again brush Nyota's fingers lightly with the fingertips of his right hand as he reached past her in order to obtain more fruit from her desert plate. He was quite pleased when she inhaled sharply at his fleeting touch as their bond flashed open briefly once again and he let his strong desires for her be known. As their fingers separated and his head began to clear, Spock once again began to question the escalation of his own overt behavior towards her this evening. He usually maintained his self control around her in public places, but already tonight his thoughts had turned lustful five times, each time being stronger than the last.

As Spock finished his beer, the server brought yet another large pitcher of beer to their table. Spock nodded his affirmation to Mr. Scott as he refilled his glass with a nod followed by a wink. Spock was suddenly at a loss to interpret Mr. Scott's behavior. Perhaps he should ask Nyota. As he turned towards her Nyota was holding out yet another strawberry to feed to him which he now eagerly accepted, all thoughts of Mr. Scott's unusual behavior vanishing with the taste of the fruit and the light brush of her warm fingertips along his left cheek as she fed him. Another strong surge of longing swiftly spread throughout his body and he reached out with both hands to gather her hands within his as he gently wiped the strawberry's juice from her hands with his napkin. And with their hand contact their bond brightened once more. But instead of letting go of her hands Spock found himself engulfing her left hand within his right one and slowly pulled her hand down to rest upon his right thigh. His emotional barriers then dropped even further as he let his longing for her burn brightly thru their bond. He immediately felt her breathing and heart rate increase rapidly to 42.7% of normal before she began to slowly withdraw her hand from his. With the absence of her touch he once again began to gain some of his self control back and they both began to eat once again.

After another approximately 12 minutes of conversation around the table, Mr. Scott abruptly stopped mid sentence and looked down at his cron. He then quickly stood up and announced loudly to the crowd in the room his voice carrying over the din. "Ye have 10 minutes before the dancing begins, so spend this time most wisely ya motley crew!"

Scattered cheers and clapping could be heard from the crowd followed by a large number of people rising up and walking over to the open bar set up near one end of the dance floor. Many others rose and began to walk in the direction of the sanitary facilities. Spock looked over at Nyota questioningly.

"I will wait for you here at our table while you engage Mr. Scott in dance." Spock told her quietly after they had returned from the sanitary facilities.

"Oh, I won't be dancing Spokh." She replied looking out at the dance floor, her face filled with longing which she immediately attempted to mask. "Scotty's dancing with Lt. Gray tonight." She informed him quietly.

Spock sat with her in silence as they watched the musicians stand up and then gather on the stage at the front of the hall where their bagpipes and drums lay on several tables. The pipe and drum corps spent several minutes fitting themselves with their instruments as groups of people slowly began to drift onto the dance floor.

Gaila looked sadly at Nyota as she and Kirk rose from their table to follow Mr. Scott and Lt. Gray towards the dance floor. Spock quickly glanced at Nyota as they continued to sit next to each other at the now deserted table. Spock could sense that she still continued to attempt to shield her disappointment from him, but he was quite aware of just how much dancing tonight meant to her. He was quite aware of just how loyal she was to their marriage bond. She had only agreed to dance with Mr. Scott during the dance lessons on board the Enterprise knowing that Spock trusted the Chief Engineer. And he now realized that she would not breech his trust by dancing with another this evening.

"All right Laddies and Ladies, 'tis time to get your drunken asses out here!" Mr. Scott called out as he stood on the stage next to the musicians. "Come on everyone!"

Spock quickly downed the remainder of his beer and silently steeled himself for what he must do as he slowly stood up from their table. He then reached down to tenderly take Nyota's left hand within his right one as she stared up at him in confusion, her eyebrows knitting closely together. Still holding her hand he bowed his head respectfully to her as he spoke. "May I have the honour of this dance, my lady?"

Nyota's face immediately broke out into a smile so large that Spock was suddenly unsure that her petite face would be able to contain her sudden joy as he slowly pulled her out of her chair and up to her feet.

"You may indeed, my lord." She replied happily to him stretching up on her toes to brush a tender but brief kiss to the side of his mouth, her face still framed with her smile.

Her happiness immediately enveloped him in its warmth with her touch and he quickly pushed aside all of his misgivings about dancing in public. It was now time to 'woo' his woman. They slowly walked hand in hand out to the dance floor to stand beside Kirk and Gaila.

Gaila bounced up and down apparently quite happy that he and Nyota were going to join their group. An insanely large smile covered her face as she clapped her hands together gleefully.

"I didn't think you had it in you Spock." Kirk teased him as the pipers played the intro to a quite lively foursome reel.

Nyota immediately took the lead as she pulled on his hand and they began to dance to the upbeat melody. Drawing upon his endemic and photographic memory of her dance lessons on board the Enterprise, Spock followed her moves with confidence and resolve.

After 3 reels, 2 jigs, and two hornpipes, with 2 strathspeys interspersed between them, Mr. Scott walked to the front of the room and stepped up onto the stage, his sweat covered face breaking out into a huge smile as he looked out onto the group of dancers gathered before him. "How about a big round of applause here for the Glen Mor Pipe and Drum Corps, Ladies and Laddies!" He requested slightly out of breath as the occupants of the hall broke out into loud applause, cheers, and whistles. Scotty then held his hands up in order to quiet the crowd down once again. "We'll be takin' a 30 minute break so go get yourselves something to eat and drink and get ready for some more dancin'!"

Spock reached out to take Nyota's right hand securely within his left hand as they walked slowly back to their table. During the dancing he had kept his telepathic shields in place even when he was touching Nyota because the nature of the dances did not lend themselves to anything other than brief touches with her. So now as they held hands his mind was once again filled with her thoughts. Her happiness with him was quite apparent and this pleased him immensely.

As they approached their chairs, she turned to him placing her hands on his hips pushing him down slightly which indicated that she wished for him to sit down in his chair. He did so immediately. Keeping her eyes locked with his she slowly leaned down to him placing her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly on the lips. She then moved her mouth next to his left ear, her warm and wet breath sending an involuntary shiver down his spine.

"You stay put, ashayam." She whispered to him in a low voice and he closed his eyes involuntarily at her quiet words. "Remember, I want you to save your strength for later tonight. I have a surprise for you when we get back to our hotel room."

He opened his mouth but found that his tongue had suddenly ceased to function and she smiled brightly at him before turning away from him and walking slowly towards the desert table immediately joined by Gaila and Lieutenant Gray. Spock, realizing that his mouth was still agape, quickly closed his mouth as his eyes tracked the movements of her hips as she walked.

"I don't need to remind you again just how lucky you are, do I?" Kirk spoke up as he sat down heavily in his chair appearing to be quite fatigued from dancing.

His eyes still focused on Nyota's retreating form, he quickly reasoned out Kirk's words to him. "No, you do not." He replied with conviction as the three females found their place in the long line.

Scotty immediately began pouring beer into Spock's and then Kirk 's glass. He then poured himself a glass full of the golden red beer drinking deeply of the brew as he sat down in his chair across from them. "Tis true indeed. That lass be worth her weight in dilithium crystals, that be sure.

Suddenly quite thirsty, Spock drank deeply from his glass as he contemplated Mr. Scott's words. "I concur with your analysis, Mr. Scott." He replied as he finished his glass setting it once more upon the table in front of him.

Scotty's eyes danced with happiness as he filled Spock's glass up once more and Spock quickly nodded his silent thanks to the chief engineer. He then cut his eyes back to the desert table finding Nyota once again, noting her advancement within the line. He gazed at his bond mate longingly as she laughed out loud no doubt at something Gaila had said. He placed the glass of beer up to his lips taking another long drink, his eyes never leaving Nyota. Suddenly a thought occurred to him. He turned his gaze to the remainder of the beer in his glass and discretely inhaled the aroma of the liquid once again trying to analyze its ingredients.

"Mr. Scott" He began turning to look at the Chief Engineer. "Do you have knowledge of the specific nuts and spices contained within this beer?" Perhaps a particular ingredient in the beer could indeed be responsible for his aberrant behavior tonight. And his physical contact with Nyota could have likely caused behavior changes in her as well. He had imbibed many different beers in the past and none had ever caused a breech in his self control. But then again something other than the beer might also be causing such reactions. But the beer was a logical place to start.

Scotty's eyes narrowed as he searched his alcohol addled brain for the answer to Spock's questions. "Other than black walnuts, no I do not, Mr. Spock." Scotty answered with a shrug of his shoulders. "But I'll com my brother and get the ingredients for you."

"Thank you Mr. Scott." Spock responded as Kirk began to smile at him. Spock knew from numerous previous experiences on board the Enterprise that this particular smile usually preceded a remark that Spock would no doubt find illogical and possibly even unpleasant.

"I know that alcohol doesn't cause any type of behavior change in Vulcans." Kirk began leaning in towards Spock as if to keep his words more private which of course caused Scotty to lean across the table in order to listen more intently to their conversation. "But I have noticed that you have been a little frisky with Uhura tonight. Do you think there's something in the beer that has gotten you all hot and bothered around your wife this evening?"

Spock felt a stab of anger unexpectedly rise up within him because Kirk had dared to mention his mate's name alongside some very obvious sexual innuendos. He quickly tamped down his reaction and regarded his Captain coolly. Kirk was a highly intelligent human and his powers of observation were indeed quite keen. Spock now realized that his loss of control around Nyota tonight had obviously been noticed and this concerned him greatly. "I find the beer quite palatable. I am simply inquiring as to its ingredients."

"Sure you are, Spock." Jim Kirk replied with a lopsided grin, then quickly ducked his head down slightly towards the table. "And sorry if I offended you by saying all that. I was just curious, that's all." He apologized sincerely his eyes once again meeting Spock's.

Spock let out the breath he had unknowingly been holding. Nyota had gently prodded him since they had entered their marriage bond to interact with the Enterprise crew on a more personal level. And this included properly responding to visual and vocal cues indicative of cultural faux pas. "Apology accepted, Jim." Spock quietly replied as Kirk smiled broadly at him.

"My granni use to tell us kids that if something feels good then it can't be all bad." Scotty noted with a lopsided smile before draining his glass of beer and then immediately pouring himself another glass full. "My mum didn't like her telling us that, but we thought that my granni hung the moon!"

Spock took a long drink and then looked down thoughtfully into his glass of beer. Mr. Scott's grandmother's wisdom seemed most profound to him. It had indeed felt 'good' to have publicly expressed his affection for Nyota during the evening. His own grandmother T'Pau had also offered him valuable advice in the past. He realized that the Chief Engineer and himself had shared similar experiences with their grandmothers as children. This 'shared' experience although unexpected was suddenly most agreeable to him. Spock slowly raised his glass up to his shipmates who quickly raised their glasses to meet his, curiosity clearly written on both their faces. "To the wisdom of grandmothers." Spock offered up to them as Kirk and Scotty eagerly clinked their glasses to his.

"To the wisdom of grandmothers!" they chorused as they all downed their beers together. Scotty immediately refilled their glasses as Spock turned his head to look back at the desert table and watched as Nyota, Gaila, and Lt. Gray began to walk back to their table, the three of them leaning towards each other apparently deep in conversation.

Nyota ran her left hand lightly down his spine as she sat back down at the table next to him placing her plate between them. Spock noticed that there was another slice of the dark red cake on the plate as well as more strawberries along with red and green grapes on it.

"Did I see you initiate a toast just now?" she inquired in a whispered tone to him as she leaned slightly towards him.

"Ha." He replied simply reaching out to take her fork out of her fingers tenderly and then cutting off a bite of cake for her which he quickly held up to her lips.

Nyota's eyes went wide in surprise and she slowly opened up her mouth as he carefully eased the forkful in pulling it smoothly back out of her mouth as her lips closed down around the fork.

As she chewed the cake she reached down to their shared plate and held out a green grape to him which he eagerly took from her, his lips quickly brushing her index finger and thumb. He watched with satisfaction as Nyota's eyelids fluttered with the contact.

Realizing just how close to the edge of his self control he was, he suddenly pulled back from her and his thoughts immediately began to clear. "If it is your desire to dance once again, then perhaps we should feed ourselves and not each other, my wife." He suggested in High Vulcan as he felt another strong surge of longing course through his body as he remembered the taste of both the grapes as well as her fingers from just seconds before.

"A most wise course of action, my husband." She agreed in High Vulcan taking the fork from him and focusing once again on her slice of cake, but not before quickly looking up at him, a small smile forming on her face.

They did indeed dance the next set of dances, mutually agreeing beforehand to return to their hotel room at the next break. "I grow weary of sharing you with the rest of the world, Commander." She informed him formally as they walked towards their table once again. "I believe most strongly that I want you all to myself for the rest of the night."

As he held her hand within his he could feel the meaning behind her words. She was quite aware that his decision to dance with her this evening had been a difficult one for him. And she had very much appreciated his willingness to engage on a social level with many of their shipmates as well as friends and family of the bride and groom. But she now wished for him to once again be centered and comfortable which meant that the dancing for them tonight would end.

"We will take our leave from you at this juncture of the evening." Spock told the group as they approached their table.

"I am surprised that you two waited this long." Kirk commented with a smile as he leaned over to look over at Spock as Gaila pulled Nyota into a goodnight hug.

"Sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite." Gaila told her as she hugged her causing Nyota to laugh.

"I won't." she replied to her friend.

Spock sincerely hoped that their hotel bed would not be infested with biting insects. He had designs on using it for the remainder of the night as well as tomorrow morning.

"Commander, Lieutenant, 'twas indeed a pleasure." Scotty told them sincerely with a broad, but slightly crooked smile. Lt. Gray happily waved goodbye to them as the four of them sat back down at their table.

The night was cool but surprisingly clear as they walked along under the stars and down the sidewalk towards their hotel which was less than 1000 meters from the dance hall. Their difference in height and body mass was not an encumbrance at all as their movements quickly synchronized and their bodies meshed together as their fingers entwined. Their minds immediately linked with one another's

Spock noted that Nyota had become quite adept at shielding information from him in the 9 months, 23 days, 16 hours, 29 minutes and 36 seconds since they had entered into their marriage bond, and he could now only sense excitement building in her as they approached their hotel. He himself was normally quite patient, but he curiously found himself now anticipating Nyota's surprise which awaited him in their hotel room. It was only 22:18 hours and therefore they had many hours left to themselves before checkout time tomorrow morning. And even though his longing for her had waned while they had danced, he could now feel the familiar pull of her body growing stronger with each step they took together. As they approached the entrance to the hotel, a full moon rose over the treetops…a most fortuitous sign indeed.

Nyota looked up at the moon and then over at him. "I AM most impressed, Commander. Spock." She teased him.

"As am I, Lieutenant Uhura." he replied to her failing quite miserably to keep his eyes from crinkling slightly as her face broke out into a huge smile for him.

Spock typed in their code and laid his hand upon the touch pad to allow them access to their hotel room. He walked in ahead of her as it was the Vulcan custom for the male to enter an area first in order to provide protection for his mate if required. This hotel room was neither the Enterprise nor their residence. He quickly scanned the empty room and found nothing out of order. He then nodded to her indicating that she could now enter the room. Spock had programmed the room's climate control before they left and the temperature in their room was now quite warm and quite comfortable. As he turned to look at Nyota, she reached out to place her hands on his hips and immediately began pushing him back towards the bed.

"Before I give you your surprise, I wish to make you more comfortable, mpenzi." She told him seductively as he allowed her to continue to push him backwards until he felt the back of his legs touch the bed frame.

He slowly sat down on the bed as her arms snaked around his neck and she leaned down to kiss the shell of his left ear sending a shiver of desire down his spine. He felt her smile as her lips slowly traveled down along his jaw line and then onto his neck kissing and sucking lightly at his skin as she traveled lower. She nipped him lightly when she reached the juncture of his neck and shoulder at the spot which she had visited many times in the past. Although he was very familiar with the physiology of his nervous system, and he knew for a fact that no such neural pathway existed in his body, Spock had become convinced on their first night spent as a married couple that this particular spot on his body was somehow directly linked to his lok. And as usual he could not keep his low moan of arousal contained within him at the feeling of the pressure now from her teeth on his heated skin there. She quickly ran her warm tongue over the spot immediately soothing his now overheated flesh. She then gently placed her palms on his chest, pushing him to lie down on the bed, straddling his thighs as she leaned over him.

He lust fogged brain cleared slightly and he realized that her fingers were now busy undoing the leather tie on his linen shirt. He quickly forced his hands to grasp the comforter on either side of him into tight knots in order to keep himself from pulling her down on the bed with him. Once she had pulled sufficient slack into the leather tie, she let her fingernails skim down his clothed chest towards his kilt stopping just above where his shirt was still tucked inside. She then slowly reached her fingers down under the high waist of his kilt inching towards the juncture between his thighs and hips. He closed his eyes at the feel of her soft, warm hands sliding across his now sensitized skin. She had often commented to him during their intimacies that she found the sinew and muscles at this particular juncture of his body to be quite 'sexy'. And he in turn had always found the placement of her hands there to be most stimulating.

He felt her fingers grasp the edge of his shirt and her hands began their slow retreat up his thighs to his waist once again emerging into his view. He then tilted his head up to watch her as she teasingly smiled at him, her mahogany eyes beginning to dilate with what he knew was her desire for him now.

"Sit up, husband." She commanded in High Vulcan and he obediently rose into a seated position reaching out to capture her lips in a brief but quite heated kiss as he did so. He felt the breath hitch in her chest with his kiss as he began to pull her into him.

Leaning back from him she cocked her left eyebrow in warning at him and he dropped his arms obediently from her thus allowing her to pull his shirt quickly up and over his head, tossing it in an exaggerated as well as confident motion over her head and onto the floor. He immediately noted the look of deep satisfaction now etched onto her beautiful face. She was no doubt enjoying herself and this pleased him. She slowly began to run her fingernails over his now bare chest and quickly curled the fingers of both hands into his chest hair tugging slightly as a small smile played over her face. Since their wedding night she had been quite fascinated with his body hair, and in particular his chest hair. He pulled in a harsh breath as she increased the pressure slightly and she smiled once again at him as she let go and began to trail her fingernails down his chest and then across and down the path of body hair on his abdomen. Her fingernails lightly scratched their way onto his kilt and over his rapidly rising lok. He immediately lay back on the bed groaning with the sensation. He closed his eyes squeezing his eyelids tightly together as he fought the urge to reach out and bury his fingers within her soft, dark locks and pull her down onto his now straining lok.

Her fingers quickly resumed their journey passing from his kilt onto his legs. Her warm fingers nimbly unfastened the flashes from just under each of his knees. He heard them each hit the carpeted floor near the bed. She next began to untie the ties of his brogues starting with his left foot and slipping each shoe off onto the floor with a dull thud. He once again felt her fingers trailing upward onto his right leg as she slowly pulled down his hose no doubt tossing it onto the floor behind her. Her hands quickly began to knead his calf muscles before gently nipping him there which immediately sent a shudder of arousal throughout his body. He moaned at the sensation. He knew quite intimately that she found his lean and muscular legs to be quite fascinating. And for that fact he would be forever grateful. She then repeated the process of removing the hose on left leg following up with her hands massaging his calf muscles along with a well placed nip on the side of his left calf. He once again shuddered as his body was reduced to a quivering mass of muscle, sinew, and bone within her hands. A most desirable feeling indeed.

His brain was suddenly back on line as he felt her hands rising quickly upward on his body reaching around his waist to find and then release the catches on his sporran. Now unable to even open his eyes, he heard the clink of the metal case of the sporran as she sat it on the night table next to the bed. Her warm hands once again on him, she quickly removed the kilt pin from his kilt, his ears now picking up the metallic sound of the pin dropping onto the night table.

He quickly drew in a long, unsteady breath now readying himself for the removal of his kilt. During the evening he had found the garment to be quite comfortable to wear once he had grown accustomed to the constant breeze as he moved. And given the temperature of the metal seats of the chairs in the hall tonight, he had mastered the technique of sitting properly in the kilt rather quickly. But most unexpectedly he had noted that the garment had a distinct advantage over pants when it came to ease of urination.

He felt her fingers move to his left hip unfastening the belt quickly before moving over to his right hip and releasing the belt there also. He opened his eyes and looked down along his body to watch as she slowly unwrapped the kilt from his hips, laying the ends of the kilt on the bed on either side of him. Her fingers quickly crossed back over his hips and now encircled his rapidly hardening lok. As she leaned down to take the tip within her heated mouth he struggled not to thread his fingers though the long, inky strands of her hair and pin her mouth to him. His mind now drifting slowly away from his body he heard himself groan and he had to force his hands to clench the comforter on either side of him. He closed his eyes once more as he heard the material rip apart within his fists.

He willed himself to open his eyes once again and watched as the cascade of dark hair of his mate completely covered his lok leaving only the sensation of feel to him. As she began to alternate between sucking and licking, he closed his eyes once again and began to concentrate on not immediately succumbing to his climax. But after an extended evening longing for her touch, he found that his willpower had been severely compromised. His internal clock was now off line so he was unaware of just how long he would be able to forestall the inevitable. Suddenly she moved her right hand downward to caress his sakal and he found he could not hold back any longer as he began to erupt into her waiting mouth in wave after wave of release.

As he became aware once more he opened his eyes to find Nyota's warm, slender fingers threading slowly through his now damp hair as she tenderly stroked his hair back from his forehead. As his eyes slowly focused on her mahogany orbs, she smiled serenely at him and leaned down to kiss him on the nose causing his eyes to involuntarily cross.

She giggled softly at him the smile never leaving her face. "Are you well, my husband?" She asked him in High Vulcan trying then to school her face into a stern mask but failing.

He opened his mouth to reply but found that he had suddenly been rendered speechless. Only his Nyota had the power to do that to him. He closed his mouth and watched as she smiled once more at him, her dark eyes dancing with happiness.

She leaned down and kissed him slowly on the lips, her own arousal beginning to envelop him in both its scent and power. He reached out and attempted to pull her into his arms. After all it was his duty as her adun to attend to her wants and needs. And given her strong scent his aduna was now in need of a release of her own. She quickly pulled away from him with a laugh.

"Patience, my husband." She told him in High Vulcan switching immediately to Standard. "After all I haven't given you your surprise YET!"

Spock's brain suddenly felt as if it were on the verge of imploding. He had incorrectly assumed that her undressing him and then bringing him to climax had been his 'surprise'. He could now feel his body's own banked fire beginning to roar to life once again as his longing for her began to quickly build once more.

She stood up from his side as his arms fell limply to the bed suddenly powerless to hold her against her wishes. She reached down and tugged on his legs trying to get him to lie on the bed properly. He immediately complied with her wishes swinging his legs slowly around and repositioning himself on the bed, his head laying on one of the pillows and his eyes never leaving her face as he did so. As he moved he noticed that she had somehow managed to remove his kilt without his knowledge. Only his Nyota had the power to make his lose his mind as well as his memory.

"As a fitting end to our day, I wanted to share yet another Scottish custom with you, my love." She told him pulling over a chair next to the bed and placing her left foot upon the seat of the chair. She immediately began to slowly pull the flashing from below her knee and quickly tossed it off to the side. She next undid the tie to her left pump slowly pulling it off of her foot and also tossing it to the side. She looked over at him her eyes half hidden now under her black eyelashes and her dark hair flowing over her shoulder to partially obscure her face as she slowly began to pull her hose down her leg gathering it quickly in her left hand and tossing it aside. "One that I am sure that you will find most fascinating." She murmured seductively to him.

Spock's eyes were immediately riveted to her now bare, supple, and slender mocha leg. Since the first time he had seen her bare legs as she ran the hurdles on the Academy track field he had been fascinated with her legs. And by the end of their wedding night he had memorized every square centimeter of her legs as well as her other luscious body parts. He now was suddenly quite curious as to how her perfect legs fit into the 'surprise' that she had promised him. He quickly turned onto his left side so he could better watch her as she set her left leg back down on the carpet and then placed her right leg upon the chair.

She once again slowly removed the flashing from her leg. She then untied her pump letting the ties slowly fall down before removing it and sending it to join its mate on the carpeted floor. She looked over at him and smiled at him as she very slowly pulled her hose down her leg, tugging it gently off of her foot and tossing it onto her pumps. "Like what you see, mpenzi?" she asked him in a low voice that was full of both heat and desire as she locked eyes with him.

His mouth at first failed to function and he closed his eyes briefly before finally responding. "Indeed." Was all he could manage.

She giggled happily as she pushed the chair to the side, her eyes never leaving his as she stood tall in front of him in her now bare feet. Her hands reached slowly up to her linen shirt and her fingers began to untie the leather fastening causing the ends of the leather to drop down between her breasts. His breath suddenly caught in his throat in anticipation of her removing the garment. But her hands suddenly changed course and moved downward towards her kilt. The supple fingers of each hand smoothly reached around her waist quickly undoing the fasteners of her sporran. She then transferred the freed sporran into her right hand as she swiftly undid her kilt pin from her kilt with her left hand. She gracefully moved towards the night table next to his head and dropped the metal and leather accessories one after another onto the table producing quite audible clinks.

She smiled at him as she walked back to stand before him once more but now 20.5 centimeters closer to him than she was before. She turned to once again face him her kilt fanning out in a perfect circle as she did so. She batted her eyes coyly at him twice before reaching behind her waist with both hands and unfastening the belts which held her kilt in place. He immediately rose up on his left elbow in anticipation of viewing what lay hidden underneath her kilt.

As the tartan dropped from her slender waist and onto the floor to lie in to a plaid pile his eyes were riveted to her waistline only to find that her linen blouse extended to her mid thighs thereby covering her torso completely. And even though he found her smooth muscular thighs quite appealing, he had envisioned more of her luscious body being revealed to him with the removal of her kilt.

But suddenly the thought occurred to him that perhaps she, like the men in the wedding party, had not worn anything under her outer garments. He involuntarily growled at the thought, partly in passion and partly in possessiveness. No other male would ever see her unclothed if he had any say in the matter.

Her eyes widened slightly as the looked at him. "T'nash-veh." He told her sternly, his eyes locking with hers.

Her face once again brightened into a smile. "Ha, adun!" She replied reaching down to grasp the hem of her blouse in both of her hands. "Kwon-sum!"

She slowly began to pull the blouse up and over her head revealing a form of clothing that he was not at all familiar with. However given just how the garment fit the contours of her torso, the tops of her mocha breasts showing above it and the juncture of her legs barely contained within it, he found that this article of clothing pleased him. He immediately noted that though the material from which it was made was more like satin than wool, the tartan pattern printed upon it matched her kilt exactly. Quickly analyzing the ties and bindings on the garment, he reasoned that removing it from her body would take time. And given his now highly aroused state, he could not guarantee the integrity of the garment once he had removed it from her body. He was very well acquainted with the process of purchasing undergarments for her as replacements for those he had ripped to pieces in the throes of passion since their wedding night.

She slowly walked the short distance to the bed and stood beside him, her eyes twinkling with mischief now. "I have been waiting all night to have my way with you, my love." She told him as she slowly climbed onto the bed with him.

He immediately rolled to his back and watched her as she began to climb onto him, straddling his hips, his straining lok now nestled next to her still clothed abdomen, just below her breasts. The feel of the warm satin of the fabric made his lok involuntarily twitch. She cocked her right eyebrow at him and then slowly tilted her head down to draw her warm tongue over the tip licking away the pre-com that had already gathered there. He groaned as he reached up to tug at the ties just below her breasts managing to untie the top two fasteners before her warm slender hands stopped him with surprising strength.

"Not yet, my husband." She told him firmly in High Vulcan and he immediately let his hands drop to her hips.

His fingers quickly traced the line of her garment and then slowly began to work their way under the edge of it. She playfully slapped at both his hands before shaking the index finger of her left hand at him. "I SAID not yet!" She scolded him not quite being able to contain her smile or keep the happiness out of her voice.

He stilled his hands refusing though to remove them from her hips. He did after all have his limits on obedience when it came to her body. She chuckled good naturedly at him as she leaned down to kiss him thoroughly and deeply on the mouth, pulling yet another groan from him as her warm tongue met his. Her long locks began to fall slowly from her back to curtain them in their silken mass as they continued to kiss. He eyes now closed, he felt her rise up and her hand gently take his lok and position it below her. Her moan of pleasure as she sank down upon him echoed his own as he felt her wet heat engulf him in its tight, warm embrace. She shivered as she repositioned her legs, her knees drawing up to bracket his hips as she braced herself to begin to move. She ended their kiss with a wet smack and sat slowly back on his hips as she began to rock to and fro in a manner that he had always found to be most pleasurable as well as most arousing.

Looking up to watch her he quickly lowered his eyes to focus on her breasts which were still partially obscured by her garment. As she moaned quietly, her eyes beginning to lose their focus, he was temped once again to free her firm breasts from their confines. Her eyes suddenly captured his as she squeezed him tightly and all thoughts other than the feel of her tight warmth left him as he closed his eyes and relished his pleasure.

Feeling the increase in her pace as well as her more aggressive movements, he reasoned that she was quickly moving towards her climax. Apparently the long evening spent denying her own passions just as he had was resulting in her normal arousal time being shortened. Taking stock of his own self control, he reasoned that she would climax before him which would then allow him to pleasure her further and bring her to a second climax during their current intimacies before he would succumb to his own release once more. And while he was pleasuring her he would endeavor to remove her restrictive garment, hopefully without destroying it. This thought pleased him.

As she began to falter in her rhythm, his hands tightened on her hips and he began to help her raise up to her knees as her breathing began to grow labored. The beautiful skin on her cheeks had begun to flush confirming that she was indeed now very close to her release. She suddenly leaned down and buried her head onto his chest as his arms moved up to encircle her, pulling her into him as he provided comfort for her.

"Spokh!" she called out, her voice muffled by his chest hair as she increased the speed of her rocking and her movements became almost frantic.

He could now feel the beginnings of tremors around his lok growing rapidly stronger as the seconds passed by. He raised his hips and began to push into her firmly knowing from many past experiences that this action actually assisted in prolonging her orgasm. He immediately felt her fingers tighten around his shoulders and her breath quicken, his chest hair now moving to and fro with each of her pants.

Her fingernails bit into his skin as she began to orgasm and her body began to move erratically. This pain would have normally driven him immediately to his own climax, but his previous release now allowed him to clamp down on his arousal albeit momentarily. He began to run his hand up and down her back in a soothing motion which he knew that she favored as he continued to comfort her.

"K'diwa, nash-veh ashau k'du." He whispered into her hair as she continued to spasm in his arms.

Within seconds her movements as well as her breathing began to slow. He slowly sat up still cradling her to his chest. Then he lowered his right arm placing his forearm under her buttocks as he leaned forward picking her up as he kneeled upon the bed.

"Spokh?" she moaned shifting in his arms.

"Be still, my wife." He whispered to her in Kiswahili as he turned in the bed and began to lay her down on her back, her head placed gently upon the pillow as he did so.

She smiled lazily up at him and he leaned down to kiss her as she wrapped her arms around his back pulling him down on top of her, his hips still firmly locked with hers.

"Nakutaka." She half moaned, half ordered opening her eyes partway to look seductively up at him from under her long black eyelashes, her renewed desire for him clearly written on her face. She lightly scratched at his back and he involuntarily groaned in response breaking the kiss as her lips quickly reached up for his kissing him intently once again. He could feel her passion thrum to life once more as her still heated core squeezed his lok firmly, pulling yet another groan out of him.

"As I you, ashayam." He was finally able to respond, his fingers reaching out clumsily to the ends of the ties that still bound her garment to her now glistening body and he suddenly found it hard to focus his efforts on unfastening the ties. His body was now burning for her and his lust was driving him now to rip the garment from her body. But his mind was it seemed was at odds with his arousal knowing that this particular garment was special to his aduna and that it would most likely be in his best interests to unfasten the garment properly so that his 'surprise' would be available for her to wear for him in the future. He then re-focused all of his rapidly waning control on coordinating the actions of his fingers and he quickly began to unravel the ties from the garment.

As he unfastened the 16th fastener, his eyes traveled to her breasts which were slowly being uncovered by his efforts. The fingers of his hands tenderly pulled the fabric down as he leaned his head down to her left breast suckling it quickly and then trailing his lips over across her breast bone to the right breast as he suckled it as well. His hips involuntarily jerked into hers as the salty and tangy taste of her breasts engulf his senses. She moaned her pleasure and she once again lightly scratched at his back. He pulled his head up and he felt her chest rise up with him apparently not ready for his withdrawal just yet.

"Tranush, aduna." He told her forcing his hips to stop and his hands to once again return to his task as he began to unfasten the remaining ties on her garment. She slowly lay back down on the bed under him, her wide eyes filled with longing as well as amusement now. She was making him work for her and she was obviously enjoying herself watching him now. This had no doubt been her plan all along. The fact that he was also reaping the benefits of the successful execution of her plan appeared to make it all the more pleasurable for her now.

He then focused his full attention to his fingers as they swiftly undid the remaining 38 fasteners. Upon completion of his task he immediately slid his hands down onto her hips raising her from the bed slightly. Reaching under her waist and holding her suspended with his left arm, he gently tugged on the garment with his right hand and swiftly discarded it, the satin tartan unceremoniously joining her kilt and blouse on the carpeted floor.

He slowly shifted his position focusing on keeping their joining intact as he slowly pulled her right leg upward bending her knee and gently tucking her heel to her derriere. He then slowly lay down on his side his body molding to hers as he grasped her right ankle gently pulling her leg up and over his waist. Once in position he then began to slowly pull out and then push back into her wet heat as she moaned loudly in pleasure, her eyes rolling back in her head before closing. Hearing her now wanton desire, he closed his eyes tightly and once again fought for his self control. He carefully wrapped his left arm under her and then reached out to begin to tenderly knead her left breast with his left hand. Her left hand immediately reached up to cover his left hand and her right hand quickly traveled between her legs to trail across his slick, heated lok as he continued to push and pull within her.

Spock was very much aware since their first night spent as a mated pair that this particular position had been one of Nyota's favorites. He had studied the Karma Sutra quite thoroughly before they had entered into their marriage bond to properly prepare himself to pleasure his human wife. He too found this 'twining union' position or as it was also called the cuissade to be a favorite with him. This position allowed him to both pleasure Nyota as well as monitor her to ensure that he was not becoming too rough with her. Although he found Nyota to be quite resilient during their sexual relations, he was still concerned with inadvertently injuring her while in the throes of passion. Over time he had found that his own body had become innately aware of her tolerances and limitations and for that he was most grateful.

He leaned his head down to kiss her as he once again tasted himself on her now swollen lips and instantly felt his blood heat even further. She moaned into his mouth causing him to push into her slightly harder on the next stroke, his passion building quickly within him and as usual he discovered that all thoughts of logic and control vanished with the taste, feel, and smell of her.

The Vulcan mating instinct ever strong within him, he moved to rest his right hand above her womb stroking the smooth and taut skin covering it tenderly. He followed this by quickly dipping his head and brushing a kiss across the same spot as his hand moved briefly in order to make room for his lips before immediately returning to touch her there once again. Since the very first time they had been intimate he had done this as he unconsciously staked his claim on her as the mother of their future children. And as he pushed into her again he could feel his lok move within her as his hand lay on her warm, damp skin, immediately causing the familiar feelings of possessiveness and protectiveness of her to flare up brightly within him. His passion began to build steadily and he continued to move within her leading them both quickly down the path towards their releases.

He glanced over at the cron on the right table in an effort to assess the accuracy of his internal timer which was invariably compromised whenever he was intimate with his beloved. He noted that he and Nyota had been engaged in their sexual relations for 4.3 hours now. And her 7th orgasm of the night had resulted in her being asleep for the past 8 minutes and 52 seconds leaving him to his slowly clearing thoughts as he watched her sleep peacefully. She was now within her dreamless deep sleep cycle. He continued to look down onto her beautiful face as his right hand of its own volition began to caress her lower abdomen tenderly. His thoughts turned once again to the future as he speculated upon the eye color of their offspring even though as a scientist he could have easily calculated the probabilities but had irrationally declined to do so. It still never ceased to amaze him that he and Nyota were now married and committed to raising a family together in the not so distant future. And in moments like these, even though it was most illogical to do so, he still found himself wanting to actually pinch himself to see if he were dreaming. That had been one of his mother's favorite phrases during his childhood, and it had taken him to reach adulthood to fully comprehend the meaning as well as the emotion behind her words.

He glanced once more at the cron noting that it was now 02:49. He heard the muted 'ding' of the lift at the end of the hallway and then heard footsteps and voices as several persons began walking down the hallway towards the door to their room. He relaxed his tensing muscles as he heard Mr. Scott's muffled voice. The reception had no doubt concluded.

Suddenly an insistent rapping sound was heard at the door to their room. Spock froze as he recalled the location of his robe. This was not the first time and unfortunately would not be the last time that he and Nyota had been pulled from their bed by a crewmate or a calamity. Nyota had insisted that they purchase robes soon after they had entered into their marriage bond for just such occasions. She knew that his fierce protectiveness of their privacy would not allow anyone other than him to view her in any state of undress. Not soon after the purchase of their robes, Nyota had admitted to him that she did not wish for his body to be similarly viewed causing a surprising surge of male ego within him.

Spock slowly disengaged his body from Nyota's being careful not to wake her as he pulled the sheet up and over her unclothed form. Still deep within her slumbers she erratically reached her right hand out towards him. He leaned down to quickly press a kiss into the palm of her hand.

"I will return shortly." He informed her in Kiswahili as her hand limply fell on top of the sheet gripping the sheet tightly before stilling once more as she sighed heavily. As he watched her body once again relax into a deep sleep, Spock felt the unfortunately now quite familiar pang of regret at being forced to leave her alone in their bed

"I know 'tis late, but I reckoned that you two were still up and about." Scotty told him a bright smile lighting up his face as Spock opened the door. He then held out his com to Spock.

Spock noticed that Scotty had already placed two large brown bottles which he knew from previous craft beer outings with Admiral Pike to be a 'growlers' next to him on the carpet as he took the proffered com from him.

"My brother sent me the ingredients of 'Squirrel Chaser', Mr. Spock." Scotty remarked nodding down towards the growlers. "But he canna part with the exact amounts…trade secrets ye know."

Spock quickly looked over the list until his eyes focused on one particular ingredient. Suddenly memories from his childhood flooded his mind and the reason behind his loss of self control with Nyota during the dance earlier became quite clear.

He looked down and noticed that Scotty had picked up one of the growlers holding it in front of him another beaming smile set upon his face.

"With the night still young and all, I thought you might be in need of another round of the bonnie brew, Commander." Scotty offered as he held out the growler to him.

Spock immediately took the vessel in his right hand as he returned Scotty's com to him. "Thank you, Mr. Scott." He responded with a nod as Scotty's smile grew even wider. "And please inform your brother that his brew was indeed quite palatable, and that I am most appreciative of him sharing his list of ingredients as well."

As he pulled the growler into his side, he felt the collar of his robe slip down. Spock watched as Scotty's eyes were drawn to his now partially exposed chest. Following his eyes, Spock looked down and noted with some unease that embedded under his chest chair there were two very distinct sets of bite marks clearly visible upon his skin. Nyota had apparently been quite enthusiastic during their intimacies tonight. He quickly glanced up to once again lock eyes with the Chief Engineer and noted that Scotty's smile now threatened to engulf his entire face within it.

"I will tell him, thank ye, sir." He replied with a wink and then a smile. "And DO enjoy the rest of your night, Mr. Spock." Scotty told him with a brisk nod before leaning down to pick up the remaining growler, cradling the large brown bottle tenderly next to his chest as he stood up once again.

"Thank you, Mr. Scott." He replied and quickly considered the receipt of his next words but allowing himself to speak them. "I SHALL indeed." He added as Scotty grinned knowingly up at him. He had no need now to ask Nyota to interpret Mr. Scott's expression for him. And so with a suddenly burst of masculine pride, he swiftly nodded back to the Chief Engineer who then turned and began the trek back down the hallway towards his room.

As Spock set the growler down on the sofa table in the common area of their room, he felt more than heard Nyota approach him. He stood and turned to face her. She was dressed in her robe and her hair bore heavy evidence of his fingers' ministrations from earlier in the evening. In the low light of the room she positively glowed and he suddenly ached to hold her. She quickly raised one eyebrow at both him and the brown vessel. "A gift from Mr. Scott." He informed her walking towards her and reaching out to pull her into his embrace which she returned but not before burrowing her hands beneath his robe and placing her warm, soft hands on his naked hips squeezing him tenderly. Giving in to temptation, his left hand reached down to card his fingers through her long, dark locks, relishing the silky texture of the strands as his right hand reached down to cup her bottom, gently squeezing her through her robe.

She chuckled quietly at him. "Now you've got ME curious as to what's in that beer, mister." She told him as he released her, letting her pull back from him slightly. She reached up to pull his robe closed, quickly tying the sash, then grasping the sash with both hands and using it to pull him into her once again, her abdomen rubbing at his growing erection making his lok immediately twitch in response. "And PLEASE don't take this as a complaint, but I haven't seen you this horny since my ovulation last month. Is it really the beer or did wearing a kilt all evening bring out the macho in you, mpenzi?"

"It most certainly was NOT the kilt." He replied with some indignation, his hands pulling once again on her luscious globes as he raised her up slightly. His action immediately drew a low moan out of her and his lok twitched once again against her abdomen in response to her guttural sound. His thoughts now quickly began to cloud with the feel and the sound of her. He breathed in a quick breath and noted the scent of his aduna's fresh arousal. He lok began to swell rapidly and his coherency became even more diminished as hot blood rushed from his brain to other more important parts of his body. Words were beginning to become difficult for him now and he found that he had to focus intently before continuing to speak. "Mr. Scott's brother sent him the ingredient list for the beer which he shared with me just now."

"And?" Nyota inquired opening her eyes to look inquisitively up at him.

Spock leaned down and kissed her passionately on the lips, his tongue pushing its way into the warm cavern of her mouth as she eagerly opened her mouth to him. Her tongue began to parry his as her hands pulled slowly out from between them and she reached up to encircle his neck with her arms.

"Nutmeg." Was the only word he was able to get past his lips as he pulled her up higher onto his body and she firmly wrapped her legs around his waist.

The sound of her feet hitting the carpeted floor was almost as loud as the smack of their mouths being suddenly pulled apart.

"Oh MY!" she said in a huff, her breath shortened no doubt because of their extended kiss. "Oh my, MY!" She exclaimed pulling away from him as he released her from his grasp.

He looked down at her curiously his head rapidly clearing with the loss of contact. "You are obviously aware of the effect that nutmeg has on Vulcan males." He commented as she looked up at him, the surprised expression in her face slowly morphing into one of profound sadness.

"Ha, adun." She answered as she looked down at the floor, her hesitation to expound upon her strong reaction clearly showing in her averted face.

He waited patiently as he observed her formulate her next words to him, her mahogany eyes now wide with an emotion he perceived as regret. He immediately reached for her and enveloped her in his arms. He simply would not allow his aduna to feel such strong emotions without his support.

"Remember that week that we spent with your mom?" she began looking up into his face as he nodded his affirmation to her. "Well…when we went to the Spice Emporium she offered to tutor me on what she affectionately called "How to Live With and Love Your Vulcan Male Without Going Bonkers."

Spock knew that she and his mother had bonded during the week that his mother had spent with them, but he had been unaware of the details of his mother's life spent as the wife of a Vulcan that she had shared with Nyota. He then remembered back to the four packages of nutmeg that his mother had packed into one of her suitcases and her reaction to his unspoken question concerning the spice. "She had educated you in the effects of Terran spices on Vulcan males." He surmised as she looked up at him and smiled sadly.

"Yes, my husband." She replied in High Vulcan as she reached up once more to wrap her arms around his neck, her smile beginning to grow brighter.

"Most logical…and most welcome" He noted with satisfaction as she stood on her tip toes to kiss him soundly on the lips at his acceptance. Quite apparently his mother had taught his wife more than just how Terran spices affected Vulcan males during the week of her visit. And for his mother's wisdom in sharing such information with his Nyota he would be forever grateful.

"Well it would seem that we still have a FEW hours left to us before we need to check out, my beloved." She noted kissing him once again as he leaned down to meet her lips. "And we wouldn't want all that beer to go flat now would we?"

"Waste IS illogical, Lieutenant." He responded quickly capturing her lips once more and feeling her smile into the kiss.

"It is indeed, Commander. It is indeed." She agreed pulling him tightly to her once again, her lips hot against his.


End file.
